Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of an after cooler-radiator arrangement 30 of the prior art is shown. The physical relationship of an after cooler and a radiator assembly with respect to an engine as a whole is generally described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, below. It is important to recognize, with the assembly of FIG. 1, that the aftercooler 31 and radiator assembly 32 are placed one on top of the other such that they receive intake air in parallel. This configuration is to be distinguished from a serial arrangement, in which one unit is placed behind another unit such that air passes through one before the other, i.e., through the after cooler first and then through the radiator assembly or vice versa.
A shortcoming of the arrangement of FIG. 1 is that there is only a finite amount of space available at the front of a car or truck cab for installation of cooling system components. In a parallel configuration the finite amount of space must be split between the radiator assembly 32 and the aftercooler 31. This space limitation may result in cooling system heat exchangers that are of insufficient size to meet heat transfer requirements.
Although the arrangement of FIG. 1 may result in undersized heat transfer components, it is a desired configuration because it allows for easy cleaning. It is quite often the case that the radiator assembly 32 and after cooler 31 become clogged with bugs, plastics, tar, dirt, airborne debris etc, especially on refuse trucks. A parallel arrangement provides easy access to both the aftercooler 31 and the radiator assembly 32 whereby a high pressure water or air hose or similar cleaning device may be used to clear both components.
Referring to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a serial aftercooler/radiator assembly 40 is shown in which the aftercooler 41 and radiator assembly 42 are mounted directly to each other so that no gap is created between the two. This configuration necessitates the disassembly and removal of one, if not both, of the aftercooler 41 and radiator 42 for cleaning and servicing.